Manchester United's era of Jose Mourinho: A conflict of defence and Paul Pogba

Manchester United's era of Jose Mourinho: A conflict of defence and Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba has been subjected to intense debate owing to his conflicted relationship with Jose Mourinho as Manchester United get ready to host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.

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Abreshmina S Quadri

New Delhi

February 25, 2018

UPDATED: February 25, 2018 11:49 IST

Under Jose Mourinho's 4-2-3-1 formation, Paul Pogba has a lot of defensive duties to perform that cuts down his attacking flair (Reuters Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

Placed third in the Premier League table with 56 points, Manchester United are gunning to finish second.

Mourinho has a solid philosophy and he wants his team to live by it and breath it.

Mourinho believes every player has to defend in modern football and he conditions all his players like that.

The air of Manchester is full of mist at the moment. With clouds of the big clash between United and Chelsea hovering above the city, there's an uneasiness around -- not just in anticipation of the result but with what is going on behind the scenes.

Placed third in the Premier League table with 56 points, United are gunning to finish second behind the runaway leaders Manchester City but despite their position and points tally, their story has been far from rosy.

United had a brilliant start to the season -- after buying Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic in the transfer window -- the team looked in good flow, scored ample goals and their 89 million star Paul Pogba looked at the top of the game.

Jose Mourinho is a very stubborn manager. He has a solid philosophy and he wants his team to live by it and breath it. And who can blame him for that? With that defensive philosophy, Mourinho has won two UEFA Champions League, three Premier Leagues, one La Liga with different European teams and one Europa League, EFL Cup and FA Community Shield with United in the past one year.

He has a proven record of bringing trophies home that attracts the world's best clubs towards him yet there's another aspect he has a proven record of -- defensive play. Consider this, he even turned a Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo into a defensive unit and that's exactly what brought his doom in the capital of Spain.

When Mourinho spent two spells at Chelsea, it suited him, the club and its fans. Chelsea have always been known for their defensive play and hence, Mourinho's style was essentially their style. But Manchester United are different -- their football, their style and their charisma differs.

There's a brilliant irony that lies in the whole dynamic -- Antonio Conte has turned Chelsea into an attack-minded unit since he took over from Mourinho and United now have to hear the taunts of the iconic 'Park the Bus'. The chant surely follows Mourinho wherever he goes.

With United up against Chelsea on Sunday, it will be interesting to see the style of play the two teams bring to the table -- the history between the two now tied and tangled.

Manchester United to host Chelsea in Premier League today (Reuters Photo)

Mourinho's defensive mindset has brought him great success -- he won United the Europa League in a similar manner. Yet Champions League football is different, more edgy and critical. At Sevilla in the first leg of the Round of 16, Mourinho travelled to bring home a draw and it happened. Sevilla showed far more character, flow, excitement and intent yet Mourinho's United held them at bay (Of course, David de Gea being the saviour forever) and came back with a result they liked.

Mourinho has now promised a big night at Old Trafford in the second leg and United's tie against Chelsea will surely set the tone.

Mourinho believes every player has to defend in modern football and he conditions all his players like that, some benefit some don't. Currently Pogba seems to be the sufferer.

Pogba came back to the Theatre of Dreams from Juventus last season for a then world record fee. But somehow a year into his journey at United, Pogba seems to have lost his way.

Under Mourinho's 4-2-3-1 formation, Pogba has a lot of defensive duties to perform that cuts down his attacking flair. But where is Pogba most dangerous? When he is pressing high, taking on the defenders in the opposition's half and cutting through barriers. What we see of Pogba at United currently is nothing close to that.

A lot has been said over who's at fault for Pogba's lack of form. The answer will always remain contentious.

Paul Pogba came back to the Theatre of Dreams from Juventus last season for a then world record fee (Reuters Photo)

It is true that a player is supposed to adapt to his manager's philosophy and style of play. Yet one may argue, is it only the players' responsibility? Whenever a player is signed based on his performance, there is a certain quality that attracts people towards him but what if he is thrown into a completely different environment and set up and asked to change the way he plays? Will he remain the same? Perhaps only Pogba can answer that.

Pogba had the biggest support in Andrea Pirlo back at Juventus -- Pirlo dictated the play in the middle and Pogba remained scot-free, allowed to flap his wings and fly in to attack. It seems Pogba misses that kind of support and may be it was solidity in the middle that made Pogba look a better player.

There are reports in the media about a rift between Pogba and Mourinho but the United manager recently came out politically correct and praised Pogba for his "professionalism" while coming off the bench against Sevilla.

Conte said that he expected Pogba to start against Chelsea yet said Pogba's omission will spell good news for his team. Well can you argue with the one who turned Pogba into the world-class midfielder that we now know of?

The dynamic triangle of Mourinho-Pogba-Manchester United looks extremely conflicted at the moment turning the Theatre of Dreams into a dramatic space.

Manchester and Old Trafford have been witness to ample drama on and off the pitch, after all dreams are not made without spilling sweat but the current mist feels heavy and almost dreadful -- after all Manchester has a lot of attacking prowess at their disposal and they want to experience that attacking glory once again.

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